Tencent START Cloud Gaming

Tencent START Cloud Gaming (腾讯START云游戏, commonly shortened to START) is a consumer cloud gaming service operated by Tencent, China's largest internet and gaming company. Rather than selling a physical console, START streams games running on remote servers to the player's device — smart TVs, set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets and PCs — so that graphically demanding PC and console-style titles can be played without local high-end hardware. The service is positioned as a "no-download, no-console" way to play premium games, and it has been bundled into Tencent's broader push into living-room entertainment and 5G-era streaming. START sits inside Tencent's gaming ecosystem alongside its studios, publishing arms and platforms such as WeGame. Content on the platform has drawn on Tencent's own titles as well as licensed third-party PC games, and the service has been promoted through partnerships with television makers, telecom operators and hardware vendors in China. Access has typically been offered through a client app plus paid subscription or time-based plans, with free trial periods used to drive adoption. As a product brand rather than a separately incorporated company, START has no independent ownership or listing; it is a subsidiary brand within Tencent Holdings, which is listed in Hong Kong. Its fortunes are tied to Tencent's cloud infrastructure, to Chinese regulatory treatment of games and online services, and to the economics of cloud streaming, which remains capital-intensive. START is best understood as Tencent's flagship consumer-facing cloud gaming brand in mainland China.

Tencent START Cloud Gaming emerged from Tencent's long-running effort to build a cloud gaming business on top of its own cloud infrastructure and its large portfolio of game content. Tencent, founded in 1998 and listed in Hong Kong, grew into the world's largest games company through titles such as Honour of Kings and through stakes in major international publishers, and it operates one of China's leading cloud platforms. That combination of content and infrastructure made a first-party streaming service a natural extension. START was developed as a consumer-facing brand distinct from Tencent's download-based PC platform WeGame. Its proposition was to remove hardware barriers: games run on Tencent's servers and are streamed to the player, so a smart TV, a phone or a low-spec laptop can deliver an experience otherwise requiring a gaming PC or console. Tencent promoted START through tie-ups with television manufacturers and telecom operators, positioning it as a living-room entertainment service suited to China's high-speed broadband and 5G rollout. The service has evolved through beta phases and successive client releases for TV, mobile and PC, with a catalogue mixing Tencent's own titles and licensed third-party games, and with monetization built around subscriptions and time-based plans plus promotional free trials. Like other Chinese game services, its trajectory has been shaped by the regulatory environment for games and online content, including approval requirements and restrictions on minors' play time, and by the heavy capital cost of running GPU servers at scale. As of the mid-2020s START remains one of the most visible cloud gaming brands in mainland China, operating as a product line within Tencent rather than as a standalone company. Detailed public disclosure about subscriber numbers and revenue is limited, since Tencent does not break out START in its financial reporting.

• Tencent launches START as its consumer cloud gaming brand in China

• START client expands to smart TVs and set-top boxes, positioning the service for living-room play

• Mobile and PC clients broaden access beyond television hardware

Tencent's consumer cloud gaming brand offering console- and PC-quality games without dedicated hardware, aimed at the Chinese living room and mobile audience.

• START cloud gaming service

  Streaming of PC and console-style games from Tencent data centers to player devices.

• START TV client

  App for smart TVs and set-top boxes enabling controller-based play on the big screen.

• START mobile app

  Companion app for streaming games to smartphones and tablets.

• 2026.08.25

  Reported2026.08.25

  Lenovo Legion launches C700 cloud gaming handheld[1]联想拯救者发布C700云游戏掌机diy.zol.com.cn

  On August 25, 2026, Lenovo Legion launched the Legion C700 cloud gaming handheld, featuring native integration with Tencent START cloud gaming, a customized operating system, 60fps output with end-to-end latency under 10ms in ideal network conditions, and an AI-driven replay feature for recreating esports match moments. Pricing and sales details will be announced later.

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1. 1联想拯救者发布C700云游戏掌机diy.zol.com.cn